Almost Me
by SubjectSilent
Summary: When a bus crash leaves Kelsey and her daughter stranded without help or aid, they with a small group of passengers, find themselves swept into a very real and horrific nightmare. One that threatens to expose all their deepest secrets and inner demons.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! The last time I was here was over a year ago when I uploaded Chapter 6 of my unfinished BIOSHOCK fan-fiction "Swimming in Rapture". Now that I'm back I do plan to continue it to it's end. Which, depending on when you're reading this, could've already happened… yeah. Anyway I recently was drawn back to a game that's always interested me - Silent Hill 2. Along with my "wanting" to get back into writing recently I've decided to start a fan-fic of my own set in the Silent Hill universe.

With this I'm trying to replicate the story-telling style of the second game of course only with original characters and a, hopefully, somewhat original plot.

The premise I'm toying with here is taking a group of people, as opposed to the standard single person in Silent Hill, and shove them into the nightmarish town and, as the story unfolds, learn more about the dark things inside… I'm no great writer/story-teller but I want to have subtle clues and hints that tell you more about character, story and the revelations we discover by the end of the story throughout. So if you notice them and what-not then Woo-Hoo!

P.S Here's the link for my BIOSHOCK fanfic if you're interested, /s/9272985/1/Swimming-in-Rapture I feel bad for leaving it unfinished for so long and will REALLY try to finish it soon.

 **Chapter 1**

 **No Baggage**

"Come back!"

The young woman cradles her daughter in her arms, shaking with adrenaline and absolute terror.

"Please come back! Please don't leave me! Not aga-"

"Mom..." The young teen blinks to life. A thin streak of blood runs down her forehead. "Where's my Mom?"

The woman puts her hand to her chest and sighs with relief.

"I'm right here honey," she smiles, then plants a quick kiss on the girls forehead. "Are you okay?"

The girl sits up slowly as her mother makes sure she's steady.

"What...? What happened?" She speaks weakly.

The woman motions to a bus not too far from where they're sitting. Smoking from the engine and lying on it's side, it's strewn by the side of a road. The large blocky vehicle has suffered dents all round and pieces of itself lie across the road. A number of people are crowded nearby, each tending to minor wounds or the people around them. A forest engulfs the scene and a plain white overcast sky hangs over the crash site.

"Our bus crashed... But I got you back. And that's all that matters." The mother squeezes her daughter tight, then looks into her eyes, "Can you remember your name?"

"Amie," the girl nods.

"Amie..." The mother replies silently.

At that moment the very clear sound of approaching footsteps grabs their attention. Turning around they catch sight of a man heading towards them. Looking barely scratched from the crash, he stares down at them with a strong and thoughtful gaze.

"Excuse me ma'am, are you and your daughter alright?" He crouches down to their level and examines the blood making its way down Amie's head.

"I think we're okay," says the mother. "She was knocked out... But I think she's fine."

Attentively, the man places his hand on the girls head and assess her condition. "Yep," he starts before briefly turning to the people by the wrecked bus. "Looks like most of us have escaped with only cuts or bruises. Got a couple of people with a broken hand and a sprained ankle though..."

He turns back to the two.

"If you need anything come to me, I'm a doctor and-"

"We don't need a doctor," snaps the mother. "I told you we were fine."

She holds her daughter's hand tightly.

The man pauses.

"The two of you should come and join the rest of the group," he says finally as he gets up.

The mother stands up slowly, helping Amie to her feet.

"C'mon honey," she whispers.

"What can I call you?" The doctor suddenly asks.

"...Kelsey," replies the mother. "And this is Amie, my daughter."

"Nice to meet Kelsey, Amie." He tips an invisible hat towards the girl. "I'm Dr Gabriel- I mean John. John Gabriel."

"Uh huh," mutters Kelsey.

"Hello," smiles Amie.

The three move slowly toward the other passengers of the bus. Most are lying against what was the roof of the vehicle, staying in whatever little groups or pairs they were travelling with. Others are standing about with their phones plugged to their ears.

"Anything yet?" John asks the group. The person nearest puts down their phone.

"Nothing, no ones got a signal," they reply.

"Told you." A man who looks like he was the bus driver chirps. "Gonna need to make our way on foot. Should be a rest stop nearby. Ain't nobody gonna drive this way for a while."

The group of people continue conferring about the next plan of action as Kelsey turns to Amie with a reassuring smile.

"You okay honey?" She whispers down. Aime nods.

"Yeah mom."

Happy, Kelsey then surveys the area surrounding the crash. The dense forest around them crawls up jaggedy hills on both sides of the road. _It's unnatural..._

"Mom look," Amie tugs at Kelsey's belt. Her other hand is pointing at a woman standing away from the main discussion. She's wearing a wedding dress.

"Do you think she is getting married today mom?"

Looking closely, Kelsey can see that she's been crying, and makes no eye contact with anyone.

"Looks like it honey..."

The voice of John gets louder for all to hear.

"...Okay well I think any children and anyone in need of more urgent medical attention should be part of the first group." John speaks aloud. "I'll go with them should anything happen."

A fat bearded man comes forward, holding one hand in the other. A small satchel is hung over his shoulder.

"That'll include me right I suppose" he says, wincing at the sting of his broken hand.

"Right," says John. '"And you yes," he points toward a woman hobbling towards the group. She's the one in the wedding dress. "You'll need to get that ankle x-rayed."

He turns quickly to Kelsey.

"You and your daughter should come too."

Kelsey nods, then pats Amie on the head.

"Okay good so us five will head down the roadways and get to that rest stop..." He pulls on a black rucksack.

"See if we can find some help." John looks around at the group of former bus passengers. "We'll call 911 for you."

Aside from some mutters and nodding heads, the rest of the people remain largely silent. Happy to leave the heavy lifting to others. The bus driver shares some parting words with John and then, without words, the five leavers awkwardly huddle near each other. John locks eyes with Kelsey.

"Do you have any luggage? Bags?" He asks.

Kelsey shares a look with Amie.

"No, no. We have no baggage..."

John nods slightly at that.

"HelLO?" A voice booms right next to them.

John backs up in surprise as the five notice that a new person has approached them. The first thing Kelsey notes about the girl is how thin she is. Wearing skinny black jeans and a black t-shirt, it's plainly obvious how little meat there is on the girls bones. She has the face of a twenty-year-old but the body of someone far younger, someone starved.

"CaN... I... coME?" She ends each word loudly and with strong emphasis.

"Of course," replies John. "As I said earlier, anyone's welcome to join us. Are you traveling with anyone?"

The girl shakes her head almost violently.

"NO."

The chubby bearded man with the broken hand turns away, restraining a grin. Kelsey shoots him a look of disgust. Though no one sees it.

"Mom..." Amie chimes quietly. "Why is she talking like that?"

"I think that lady might have some problems Amie. I wouldn't say anything like that to her face. Just be polite and sensitive around her. I know you always are."

John shares some extra words with the sixth group member before returning to the others.

"We going now?" The bearded man asks. Impatiently.

"Yes, are we all ready?" John addresses everybody.

They all give a nod or "yes" or a grunt in reply.

And soon they're off. Kelsey finds it odd that after sharing such a traumatic experience with the other people, she's now walking away and will never see them again.

The fat man, the disabled girl, the doctor, the bride, the mother and her daughter move away from the bus. Down the road…

They don't move far enough to see the scene of the crash disappear over the horizon. Instead, their view of the accident is submerged by a thick sea of fog. Engulfing the group, they can't see a few metres ahead of them. They move in dead silence.

Without words, they all unanimously agree on the awkwardness of their situation.

In their quiet and slow walk in the fog, all six of them fail to see a sign by the side of the road.

Decayed and dirty.

The sign reads: **Welcome to Silent Hill**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! It's chapter 2 here - I won't say much except that I'm glad because unlike almost every idea I have this one has a nice well rounded end point so I will get to finish this story properly.

I hope you enjoy reading it!

P.S I've formatted this chapter differently than Chapter 1 so that this one doesn't have the ugly line spacing. Let me know which one you guys prefer via a PM or the review box.

 **Chapter 2**

 **Into Town**

"You better know where you're going, Doc..."  
The fat man had been mouthing off rudely for the past few minutes. In the little bursts of conversation between him and John, Kelsey had learned his name: Neil.  
"The driver back there seemed to know what he was talking about," replies John, with no shortage of patience. "He told me if we follow this road we'd find a rest stop. And that's what we're doing."  
The group had decided to send Amie out to the opposite of the road every so often, to ensure that they didn't accidentally miss the stop in the encircling fog. Kelsey looks anxiously into the gray, she just got her daughter back and is afraid she'll lose her again...  
"We better man. There's plenty things I'd rather to being doing right now over hanging around with this sorry bunch." Neil motions toward the remainder of the group with his working hand.  
Not far behind him, Kelsey wonders if he was even trying to be discreet about his feelings. Without much thought she assumes the answer is no.  
John doesn't reply as Neil quickens his pace to stay a small distance away from the group.  
"Nice guy," Kelsey says as she catches up to John.  
"Not the worst," John smiles. "I've had some pretty tough nuts come into my practice..."  
At the mention of his work Kelsey awkwardly twists her head away to avoid eye contact with the young doctor. He notices.  
"It's cold out here," he finally says after some thought. Kelsey turns back to face him.  
"Yeah… That woman in the wedding dress must be having a blast." She replies.  
"I'll bet," John agrees, looking back briefly at the distraught looking bride. "There's a story behind that I'm guessing."  
Kelsey stifles as small laugh. "Yeah…."  
"So where were you headed?" he asks. "If you don't mind me asking..."  
"Not not a tall," Kelsey says. Happy that they might finally have something to talk about.  
"Um I-I was headed to my boyfriend's hometown," she speaks slowly, running her hand through her short hair. "He's uhhh…" Kelsey closes  
her eyes, frowning. "Umm… A cop. Yeah. That's what I wanted to say. Sorry..."  
She opens her eyes. "...Had a blackout."  
Before he can reply, John is interrupted by a rough smacking sound behind them.  
"OW!"  
Kelsey quickly spins her head around in the direction of the cry. The disabled girl has fallen over onto the concrete road. For a moment Kelsey fears how the fall might have affected the insanely thin girls body. But looking closely, no serious damage has been done. The bride comes to her aid, pulling her dress behind herself to better bend over.  
"Are you okay?" She asks unsurely.  
Without answering the young woman pulls herself up quickly and steps back. Staring at the bride. Her expression rings of sadness and confusion - Almost as if the two of them were best friends and it the was the bride who pushed her.  
"FiNE…" she finally blurts out before continuing her journey down the road. Moving away from the bride.  
"Sorry about that I should've said something sooner," starts John, looking back at the incident. "The road's just gotten real cracked and bumpy around here."  
Looking down, Kelsey sees it too. It's as if an earthquake has ruptured the area and sent cracks snaking all over the surface of the road. Another thing she notes is the darkness. The road's gotten a lot darker now. Like something burnt...  
Kelsey catches the bride's eyes as they move forward. Afraid she'd gotten embarrassed by the disabled girl walking away from her, Kelsey feels the need to say something.  
But before she can speak the sound of running footsteps catch her attention. Turning to their right, the group see a movement in the fog. Amie emerges like a ghost from the mist and is soon by her Mother's side.  
"Anything?" John asks.  
"No." Amie replies panting. "Just more trees."  
Kelsey smiles and puts her arm on her daughter's shoulder. "Next time don't be too long okay? I was getting worried. The thought of you getting lost in this fog..."  
"C'mon what the hell?" Neil grunts. "Where the actual hell is this place?"  
Who he's addressing is unclear.  
"Listen," Kelsey starts sternly toward him. "We know it's out there and it's out there. We'll all get there eventually."  
Neil stares at her. She continues.  
"And I really think moaning about it won't make it come any faster..."  
After a pause the fat man scoffs under his breath.  
The bride starts crying to herself, for some reason.  
Amie bites her lip.  
John coughs quietly.  
Kelsey takes her gaze away from Neil.  
"HA hA hA," the disabled girl giggles loudly at them, having found something humorous about the moment.  
Then, at a loss for words, everyone falls silent. Neil shakes his head and turns away.  
"Jesus… What a weird day," he mumbles.

…

And they're on the move again.

 **III**

"Mom! I found water!"  
Amie's voice finally broke the silence.  
She runs toward the group, returning from another trip into the fog.  
"It's not far," she explains. "You only have to move a few steps to see it..."  
She points into the fog before disappearing back into it. Members of the group share some glances before following. Each step they take reveals more of what lies ahead. More cracked road, overgrown foliage, Amie and an old dirty railing running in parallel by the road.  
"Honey, careful you don't fall," Kelsey says as moves to catch up with Amie, who is leaning playfully over the railing that stands between them and a steep drop.  
They've come across a large lake on the right side of the road. Kelsey reaches her daughter's side. Not far beneath them lies a dark and lifeless stretch of water. The dense gray fog that surrounds them prevents any real view of how large or expansive it is.  
Being the only thing worth looking at or thinking about, the group momentarily stop to admire the landmark.  
Upon seeing the drop, the disabled girl immediately backs away, shaking her head aggressively. She almost disappears into the fog before she finally stops moving.  
"NO. NO. NO," she insists whilst making eye contact with each member of the group. "NO," She adds.  
Amie pulls away from the railing, and approaches the thin girl. Kelsey looks at her daughter with intrigue.  
"Are you afraid of heights?" Amie asks softly. Prompting a violent nod from the girl.  
"Mmm Hmm..." She mumbles sadly in agreement. She's shaking. Amie offers her hand.  
"I used to be afraid of heights. What's your name?" The girl grabs Amie's hand in both of hers.  
"CrySTAL."  
"Crystal..." Amie echoes with a smile. "That's a cool name."  
The smile on her face immediately infects Crystal, who returns it in kind with a blush and a laugh. She stops shaking. Kelsey smiles too.  
The rest of the group watch the two youngsters with quiet glee in the gray world. Except Neil, who's moved on from the railing and continuing his way down the road.  
"Hey we don't want to be splitting up," John calls after him.  
"Then follow me." Neil replies abruptly and without looking back.  
Kelsey and John exchange a glance and simultaneously roll there eyes before making their way after Neil.  
"C'mon Amie, Crystal." Kelsey smiles at the two.  
Crystal claps her bony hands together playfully before joining them. She stays close to Amie.

 **III**

"Finally!"  
Neil's shout is heard by all. Coming up behind him, they see it too. A large shape emerges from the fog. A structure. A building.  
They pick up the pace.  
It's old and dirty. Red-bricked. Windows boarded-up.  
"Crap," Neil moans as he gets a closer look. He's read the sign hanging above the buildings large doorway: Silent Hill Fire Station.  
"This isn't it?" Kelsey asks, getting her breath.  
''Looks that way," replies John.  
"Are we lost...?' The bride speaks quietly.  
"It doesn't matter. We're somewhere." John proclaims, moving forward and taking the lead from Neil. "We'll find help here."  
The group pass more buildings and it isn't long before they realize they've stumbled into some sort of a town. The place is bleak. Drab. Colourless. It's also empty. The only life on the streets is them. They turn a corner. More of the same.  
"Anyone see anything?" John says out loud.  
"The hell?" Neil grumbles, peaking into an old store window. It's dirty and dark. No one's home.  
"Where the hell is everyone!?"  
Kelsey notices a number of cars parked on the pavement. They look old and worn. Moss and decay are creeping up the windows.  
"Amie stay close to me..." She says quietly.  
John pulls out his mobile and tries for a signal. He's defeated. Kelsey turns to him.  
"I think this place is abandoned."  
He bites his lip. Considering that thought.  
Kelsey whispers the words under her breath.  
"Silent Hill..."  
Crystal turns to Amie and grabs her arm tightly.  
"ScaRED."  
Amie smiles reassuringly.  
"Don't worr-"  
Then something approaches. The sound of footsteps in the lifeless fog. The whole group turn to face it. It's making it's way down the road. At first it looks like multiple people. Then some sort of an animal. A horse maybe.  
Then it gets closer,  
It looks like two people who've been melted together by everything above their waist. A tall and small person. Both female. But it's far from human. Armless, headless. The revolting mess of flesh is like rusted metal. Peeling all over, it's "skin" is a blend of cracked reds and oranges. It moves awkwardly towards them. Each step is clumsy and miscalculated. The direction in which it walks show that it's tall legs are the back ones.  
Without any sign of a mouth, the creature is somehow able to emit a horrendous and gut-wrenching moan. Like something dying, crying and screaming out all at once. It's uncomfortable.  
The four-legged horror is almost on them. Closer now, each movement it makes comes with the repulsive sounds of bones cracking and a painful squelching.  
In static shock the group can't do much but watch as the thing gets closer. Some of them notice with absolute terror that more of the creatures are appearing out from the depths of the fog.  
In that moment Kelsey feels a sudden wave of nausea overcomes her and without realising it she finds herself on her knees vomiting all over the road.  
She breathes out heavily, almost in slow-motion, before looking up the rest of her group.

"Where are we?"


End file.
